Capitol Police pay turns contentious as shutdown drags on

As the government shutdown inflicts pain on federal workers, Republicans have promised to ease the financial blow for men and women in uniform.

“Pay the troops, pay law enforcement, continue the RIFs, and wait,” the Office of Management and Budget posted on X this week, drawing a contrast with its plans for mass layoffs at other departments.

FBI Director Kash Patel, for example, pledged that his “special agents will keep getting paid,” following a similar announcement last week about the military.

But as the Trump administration aims to reshuffle money to cut paychecks for some — and faces questions about the legality of such moves — things remain uncertain for law enforcement on Capitol Hill.

Capitol Police officers have been showing up to work without pay in an increasingly tense environment, as members of Congress clash over how to fund the government. Minor confrontations have broken out in the hallways, and a protest Tuesday night saw a run-in between a Democratic lawmaker and an officer. Even with the House out of session, the shutdown has kept police busy.

“Members of Congress are still giving tours, and they still have a majority of their staff here, acting as if the government is still open,” said one officer, who requested anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the press. “All of this is occurring while officers are all starting to line up to get relief loans should this government closure continue on.”

The result is flagging morale in the department charged with protecting Congress as the shutdown stretches into its third week. Officers received a partial paycheck last week and are due to miss another in its entirety before the end of the month. Though they may qualify for zero-interest loans through congressional credit unions, some are struggling.

“The longer the shutdown drags on, the harder it becomes for my officers. Banks and landlords do not give my officers a pass because we are in shutdown — they still expect to be paid,” Gus Papathanasiou, head of the union representing Capitol Police officers, said in a statement.

During a news conference on Wednesday, Speaker Mike Johnson said Trump and OMB director Russ Vought were “forlorn” over the shutdown and moving around money to “prioritize troops and law enforcement.”

“If we can find a similar mechanism to take care of Capitol Police, of course, they’ll do that, but that’s in a separate branch,” the speaker said. “We’ve always stood with Capitol Police and law enforcement, and we’ve shown that in word and deed.”

Rep. Joseph D. Morelle, D-N.Y., a House appropriator and ranking member on the House Administration Committee, said he wasn’t aware of conversations to use existing funds to pay Capitol Police during the shutdown.

“I think the White House is just doing what they want to do without regard to consultations with Congress,” he said of the administration’s efforts to cut paychecks for some federal employees but not others. “And I’m sure they’re not even consulting the Republicans. They’re just doing what they want to do.”

Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., a Trump ally who leads the Senate Legislative Branch Appropriations Subcommittee, deferred to the White House when asked whether Capitol Police would be included in a shutdown push to pay law enforcement.

“You’d have to ask Russ [Vought] because they would be the ones moving the federal funding around,” Mullin said.

An administration official, who requested anonymity to speak candidly, said on Wednesday that any decision to pay Capitol Police would be up to Congress, though the White House would be supportive of the legislative branch using existing funds to do so.

Whether any such money exists is unclear, and a police department spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment. And Congress has so far made no legislative moves to ensure pay for Capitol Police during the funding lapse.

Meanwhile, lawmakers have ramped up the rhetoric around law enforcement.

At a news conference last week, House Administration Chair Bryan Steil said Senate Democrats who have repeatedly opposed the Republican stopgap bill at the center of the current funding stalemate had voted to “defund our police.”

“Chuck Schumer yesterday said every day gets better for the Democrats. That’s certainly not true for the men and women in blue,” the Wisconsin Republican said. “The chaos and consequences of the Schumer shutdown continue to build, yet the men and women of law enforcement are asked to go out and serve and protect us every day.”

Democrats, including Morelle, have countered that it’s Republicans who have so far neglected to hang a plaque honoring officers who protected the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and who supported Trump’s pardoning of rioters who assaulted police that day.

Republican leaders have also seized on a tense incident Tuesday night to accuse Democrats of disrespect. A video that circulated on social media showed an altercation between Rep. Nanette Barragán, D-Calif., and a Capitol Police officer on the threshold of the speaker’s office.

Barragán had gone to the office with a group of Democrats to protest Johnson’s refusal to swear in Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva of Arizona, who won a special election in September to replace her late father. While the video is unclear, Barragán claims she was “forcefully grabbed,” and she and the officer can be seen exchanging words.

After meeting with Capitol Police leadership Wednesday, Barragán said in a statement she considered “the matter closed.”

“I know they have a difficult job and are being asked to work without pay. … I am hopeful that Capitol Police leadership would make sure our officers are trained well and do not prevent Members from carrying out their constitutional duties,” she said.

Papathanasiou, the police union leader, called on Barragán to apologize to the officer. “Tensions are high right now because of the government shutdown as it is, and our officers don’t deserve to be disrespected. It’s unacceptable,” Papathanasiou said.